Ardent Affection
by Maika Akarui
Summary: Love, a blonde, a lone wolf.... and a mango tree. SasuIno, SasukeXIno, InoSasu, Sasuke and Ino High School Setting
1. Chapter 1

AN: This is my very first Naruto fic! Enjoy Reading!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did...well... let's see... evil smirk. No FLAMES pls!

In the beginning, there was that mango tree on the top of a small hill near a rarely visited park. That certain mango tree never had any fruit. Only once did that large plant have specks of gold peeking from its green foliage. And I was there to see it…

As a junior high school student of Erudition Academy, all I thought about was school, family, and myself. I never really cared about anything else, but that doesn't mean that I'm ignorant. I just didn't mull over boys, crushes, and love… although I may seem to. I only prioritized those important to me. I speculated that falling in love was just a nuisance; maybe I was just too young to even understand it.

But…I don't get it. Many girls of fourteen (same age as me) have boyfriends or someone who courts them. To be honest, I never had any experience of courtship…just a bunch of people who have a crush on me. But I frequently hang out with boys, not as a flirt, moreover as one of them. I really felt comfortable with the company of the opposite sex. It was with them that I found my much needed solace. Many think that I'm friendly yet boyish, a rowdy lass who can be mistaken for a boy in a girl's body (not counting the clothes I wear, I usually dress in sporty/girly-type clothes). Laughter was my only reply, subsequent to that was an explanation. Enough about that…

Every time after school, I would always spend my time beneath this mango tree. I would sit under it and read books or do my homework. Then, I would look up at the afternoon sky, thinking of what things I should finish by the following day, book reports, projects, so-so. At exactly five-thirty p.m., I would head home.

But one day, everything changed. Past speculations, former theorems, everything…all because of a certain boy.

I was on my way to the mango tree, all dirty because of P.E. We had soccer then, getting messy was inevitable. With a foul mood, I trudged toward my resting place. As I finally arrived, I saw something that wasn't in my daily routine. Underneath my favorite tree sat a boy of fifteen, leaning against the tree trunk. Slowly, I approached the stranger. I got nervous when he looked my way. I was about to turn back when he suddenly spoke in a curt voice.

"Hey, is this your spot? Sorry if I occupied it without your consent."

I only nodded in response to his query, somewhat annoyed by his manner of speaking. I scanned him from head to toe. Based on my observations, he's a tall and lanky individual. He had a really fair complexion and bluish-black hair; semi-long bangs covering his upper and side façade, and spiky tresses at the back of his head. He definitely had the most handsome features in the face of the city, and onyx eyes that could mesmerize you with a stare. For once, I involuntarily admired a person.

I sat on a patch of grass a foot away from him, my back still touching the tree trunk and proceeded to my usual stuff. Judging from his uniform and books, he also studies at my school, the same year as me. He closed his book and packed it inside his knapsack.

"Are you leaving already?" I asked him. The boy smirked.

"Not yet. I just arrived a couple of minutes before you did."

I resumed writing my essay on "Nostalgia For The Farce." Silence filled the air. We didn't speak to each other, probably because of shyness. Later on, he tapped my shoulder and introduced himself.

"I'm Uchiha Sasuke of Class B. And you are?"

"Yamanaka Ino of Class A. Nice to meet you."

Consequently, we began chatting, but it was usually me doing the speaking. We talked about school, friends, and portions of our personal lives. This conversation led us to become fast friends and I learned more about Sasuke. He was already hanging out under the mango tree long before I did. Only when he reached first year high school did he stop going here, due to a lot of schoolwork and after school activities. He never had time to return here until today. I happened to be a transferee to Erudition Academy during first year; he was already studying there ever since first grade. I got to see him sometimes during freshman and sophomore years but I didn't know him then…and I didn't care…

We agreed that we could share the haven beneath the mango tree. Today, I had a companion, and will always have that companion for days to come.

AN: There's the first chapie! Haha! It's a Sasuino fic! My Fave pairing! Yey! Again, No FLAMing!

For Reviews... uh... please be kind... this is, after all, meh first NArufic. (But I've written fanfics before)

Sorry for some personality tweaks.

**_SASUINO RULEZZZ_**


	2. Chapter 2

A/n: Here's the second! Sorry if it took a long time to update. I'm rather busy with my studies... hehehe

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto... 

The next day, I unexpectedly met him inside the cafeteria. He was just walking alone, bypassing a few of his fan girls who were swooning like crazy, his face serious as usual. On the other hand, I was with my guy friends. We said simple hellos and asked each other questions like, "How are you?" and "How was class?", earning me glares from the girls he passed earlier. Ignoring the hushed cussing of those miserable bitches, we decided to spend lunch together. Of course, we asked permission from my friends. Thankfully, they agreed, though I had trouble with them at first. Chouji and Shikamaru, who were kind of overprotective, were a trifle reluctant of letting me spend time with a guy they didn't know. Nevertheless, I managed to persuade them, assuring the two that I can take care of myself.

Lunchtime. Sasuke was already waiting for me at a table near the window. We took our packed lunches and consumed every morsel of food inside our lunchboxes.

"Hey, the Trigonometry test was easy, right?" I said, after swallowing Mom's homemade pie.

"Hmph, all of the problems were solvable by tangent." he replied tersely, chomping his food at an average speed. Geez…what a sourpuss! Oh well, that's him, might as well accept his coldness.

I could tell that he's one intelligent boy. Maybe during senior year, he could belong to Class Q, the cream section. I am brainy, a known intellectual in my class, however, I can get lazy at times. Hinata, my best friend, told me that my brain was a sponge, constantly absorbing information as I continue on with my daily activities. I told her that she's exaggerating, that I'm not anything like that. Her answer was that I'm being modest again, causing me to slightly groan.

Sasuke was the exact opposite. He had a supreme level of arrogance, his aura emanating haughtiness when he gets excellent test scores (and that happens ALL the time!) in Class B. I sometimes get mad when he excessively shows off but he'll grunt and always apologize in the end, sending anger zooming away from me. As time elapsed, I got used to it but I keep telling him to control it. He learned his lesson, and he slightly lessened his supercilious ways (though he's still grunts a lot…). He often gives constructive criticism and can be really helpful to his classmates.

I was amused by his silence and aloof disposition. He always had this stern look on his face, as if everything around him is annoying. I almost never saw that frown turn upside-down, let alone when he smirks or grins. I thought…he really is a mysterious boy.

Under the big mango tree, we often had heart-to-heart conversations, now that we're really close friends. There was an instance when we talked about love. I explained to him that I didn't like to discuss it. He too, detested the issue. Then we introduced a new subject.

Surprisingly, as the end of August drew nearer, I found myself always having a tête-à-tête about love with Sasuke. It was out of the ordinary, I knew I disliked that topic. Somehow, there was something that motivated me into becoming interested with anything concerning love.

...to be continued...

A/N: There's the second! Hey, sorry for the OOC... I tweaked a bit of Ino's personality to match mine... originally an OC is the main girl but I really love SASUINO stories! So I made it SASUINO!

Again, **NO FLAMES!**

_**SASUINO RULEZ!**_


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Wahhh!!! It took me too long to post this chapter! School is hell ya know…

Oh, and for the reviewers, thanks for the nice reviews!! Reminder No Flaming please!! **LONG LIVE SASUXINO!! **

CHAPTER 3

Practices for the Activity Festival started in mid-September. Classes were shortened and afternoons were spent for practices. Each section was coupled with another for the Field Demo, a dance competition of some sort. Unfortunately, our classes weren't in the same dance. Class A and Class F were in the English Dance, Class B and Class H were in the German Dance, and Classes C, D, E and G were in the Greek Dance.

We meet during breaks and in-between practices. Under the shade of the school's resting shed, we sat on the green bench beside the garden. Both of us were tired, but we still found enough energy to chat. After a few minutes, our teacher gave a signal for us to resume the practices. When I stood up, I gave a sudden yelp as I felt a searing pain in my ankle. I would've fallen to the floor if it weren't for Sasuke. He caught me just in time and helped me sit down.

"You must've strained your ankle," he said, "Here, rub this ointment on it."

He took a small purple bottle from his shirt pocket. I rubbed the balm on my ankle. It lessened the swelling and felt warm and soothing. The pain diminished even when I tried to walk.

"_Arigato, Sasuke-kun!_"I said cheerfully.

"_Doo Itashimashite. _Just be careful." He smirked at me and went off to rehearse. At that moment, a burning feeling thrashed madly inside my chest. Could this be?

I returned to my dance group. My dance partner, Shikamaru, told me that my cheeks were red. He began to tease me.

"You like Sasuke don't you, Ino? Aww…the cute couple!"

"Shut up, Shikamaru! Of course not, you _baka_!" I frustratingly told him and took his hand, ready to dance.

Someone was looking at me from the distance. Someone from the German dance group…

We danced energetically during practices. After that whole day training, I headed towards the mango tree.

Sasuke was already there. As usual, he had a sullen face.

"Hey! When will you get tired of that expression?" I tensely said. Me? Nervous? Why?

"Hmmph," was his simple response. He applied ointment on his lower leg. He closed the tube and handed it to me.

"You might need some. Your ankle might act up again," he gently said.

I took the salve and folded my jogging pants. I turned away from him, conscious of showing my fair legs. After applying the cream, I gave it back to him. He absent-mindedly packed it in his rucksack, and then stared at the already setting sun.

"Look Ino, isn't that a nice sunset?" he said with a simper.

"Yeah, it's beautiful…"


	4. Chapter 4

Hello Guys! It's been a long time!! I have been sooo busy so I haven't updated at all. I was planning to chop this up into more chapters but I'm too lazy to do so.. So, here's the finale! Btw, some of you may have read this at my deviantart account. Don't forget to R&R! Thanks!

**Disclaimer: **Masashi Kishimoto owns Naruto. If I did, Sakura would have never existed.. Mwahaha!

NO FLAMING!! THANKS!

And so the feeling started. That flying cherub has chosen me for target practice and hit me with his stupid red arrow. Ever since, Sasuke was always inside my head. I'm obsessed, if I dare say so myself, the first time I encountered the dreaded feeling…love…

Being in love wasn't that bad. In fact, it inspired me to do better at school. A newfound goal had been formed, to beat Sasuke in academics. I thought that if I proved myself, I would be qualified for him. He likes girls who excel in school so I had to stop being lazy.

Nonetheless, I was careful not to let him find out. Only three people knew this matter, Hinata, Shikamaru and Chouji. At first, they were all shocked that I fell for him, even though his looks were not that far from my ideal cutie. But they accepted him for who he is. Actually, Chouji and Shikamaru already befriended him.

Rehearsals were for the whole day, since the date of the festival is on Sunday next week. That means we can spend more time with each other. We were always seen together, during water bottle refills, rest periods and lunch break. People started to get weird ideas that we had a special relationship, and the Sasuke Fan Club threw angry words at me while attempting to hit me with their fists and palms (Hah! I'm too fast for them!). They only stopped when Sasuke glared at them and told them to leave me alone. Whew…thank _Kami_ –sama for preventing a commotion! Afterwards, Sasuke and I just laughed and informed them that we're just good friends. Secretly, I wished we had that special relationship.

The presentation proper was only a day away. Now, we had dress rehearsal. I really hated my costume. It made me look like a servant from someone's house. Good thing our headdress was ornamented with flowers; that definitely put the fine line between looking like a girl dressed for Halloween, and looking like a maid.

If my costume was horrid, Sasuke's was worse. He seemed like a pilgrim warped from the past, minus turkey stuffing and cranberry sauce. I couldn't help laughing while he trotted around the practice area, cursing his donned apparel. I approached the traipsing pilgrim and startled him.

"_Sasuke-sama_, how may I be of service?" I uttered loudly, pretending to be a servant.

The young man just grinned as I bowed. Subsequently, my wreath of flowers became lopsided. Then an unanticipated thing happened. While I raised my head, he rearranged the asymmetrical circlet. I smiled at him, cheeks slightly flaming. He too, beamed back, face sort of reddish.

I couldn't concentrate on dancing. Shikamaru got irritated when I kept messing up. My plain remark is a giggle and head scratching.

"Uh…If I know! You're thinking of him again!! Will you just focus on the dance, Ino?" Shikamaru reproved me.

"_Hai…Hai_!!" I snickered.

It was the English dance group's turn to have a run-through. My partner and I danced our semi-best. From the distance, I saw Sasuke leaning against a tall post. He was so cute, sitting in a rather anime-ish pose. The artist inside me was inspired to draw that certain figure. He was watching us dance.

Anxious, I looked away. I faced Shikamaru and stared at him, creeping the living daylights out of him. He also gazed at me. We then ended up laughing.

Time passed. Before we knew it, the day of the competition finally came. All of us juniors were fully clad in our costumes.

"Give it up for the Third Year!" the announcer said in a sonorous voice. Applause followed and the dance began…

Finally, all competitors finished performing. Sasuke and I went to the cafeteria after dressing back to our civilian raiment. We talked a lot, as usual. During that rap session, something inside me, rather, a little voice, told me to confess my feeling for my best boy bud. I only ignored it.

Sasuke and I returned to the performance hall to see if we won anything. I jumped in euphoria when our level was announced the Grand Champion! Sasuke just smirked, though I can see that he's pretty happy about the win. I unintentionally hugged my beloved, to his surprise. I only realized what I was doing when he also put his arms around me. It felt really good. I glanced at him and saw that his face turned intensely crimson. I could also feel my cheeks burning. We broke the embrace and chuckled. Hand in hand, we went to our daily resting place, under the mango tree.

"Ino, I have something to tell you…" he said in a clement tone.

"_N…Na…Nani_?" I answered, my heart throbbing wildly as each second passed.

"Ino…_Boku wa…ano_…. I…I love you…"

An astonished me stared at his onyx eyes, struck with disbelief. Before I knew it, tears cascaded down my scarlet cheeks.

"Sasuke…I…I feel the same…I really love you…"

I closed my sense of sight, afraid of witnessing his reaction. I felt a finger wipe away my tears. I opened my eyes and, for the first time, saw him smile. Something was different with that smile. It was so…true and deep, unlike his usual sarcastic grin.

We held each other tightly, unwilling to let go. For the first time, I felt his passionate fervor and comfort. We finished our hug and gazed intently into each other's eyes. Our faces drew closer…and closer…until our lips touched… So warm…

And it was then we saw the mango tree blossom…

I noticed that our new improved relationship was better than when we were only best friends. Time again elapsed so quickly and recognition day grew near. Both of us were included in the awarding ceremony.

During another batch of rehearsals, we tried hard to conceal our ongoing affair. Fortunately, nobody figured it out. We only told the secret to our closest friends, that includes Hinata, Chouji and Shikamaru.

It was only under the mango tree that we showed our affection towards the other. God knows what it is but it never involved immoral acts.

This was a good thing. And all good things always have an end.

I last saw Sasuke at recognition day. We had a pact that we'll always have a date during summer vacation. The meeting place? Under the fruitful mango tree.

Everyday, I came. Sasuke, on the other hand, didn't show up all the time. Anxiety filled me…what if he doesn't love me anymore? But still…I waited…and waited…

May. Even now, my dear Sasuke never came. Munching on a mango I picked, I read a book and waited…

I noticed that the tree's blossoms were becoming less and less in number. Within a few days, the tree became fruitless again. An omen…? Nah… maybe it wasn't the season for mangoes.

Sunday, May 18. I waited under the haven beneath the tree. I saw a figure of a boy from the distance. I stood up and waved at him. At last! Sasuke!

Very much to my dismay, it wasn't Sasuke. It was only Shikamaru. He had a serious look on his face. His eyes were swollen, probably from crying.

"I knew I would find you here, Ino…"

"_Konnichiwa_, Shikamaru…" I groaned and resumed reading.

"_Gomen _Ino, but there is something that you should know…" Shikamaru sternly said.

"What is it?" I answered nonchalantly, still reading my book.

"Ino …Sasuke's dead."

I gasped in horror as I heard him say the terrifying truth. He told me that shortly after the recognition day, Sasuke was diagnosed with a strange incurable liver disease. His days were numbered and all he wanted was for me to be by his side. But, he couldn't bear to see me pained and sorrowful so he opted not to tell. His last words were that he wanted to be buried under the mango tree, the most important and memorable place of his life.

"He also asked me to give you this," Shikamaru handed me a small parcel.

I opened it and tears began to flow incessantly. Inside the present were a diamond ring, and a note.

_My beloved Yamanaka Ino, _

_I'm sorry for not telling you about my illness. I didn't want you to worry nor see you cry. Always remember that I truly and deeply love you, even in the afterlife. I will forever be beside you, even though you won't see me._

_Love,_

_Uchiha Sasuke_

My heart was heavy…I couldn't believe my dear Sasuke left me behind. After his funeral, for many days and nights, I grieved while recalling the precious memories we had when I was in his arms of fervor…his smooth hand caressing my skin…his eyes thrilling me as he stares deep into my soul…his genuine smile…

Senior year at Erudition Academy. I met my classmates in Class Q. I never had any idea that I qualified for this cream section. I excelled in academics and I managed to belong to the Top Five students of the class.

Everyday, I sat under the shade of the mango tree. I always hung out there alone…reading books and doing my homework.

But I knew I was never alone. I knew Sasuke was always with me, whispering his love for me. And I always waited for him underneath the mango tree…

…The mango tree that bloomed once…

A/N: I cried when I was writing the original version of this (The characters were OC, I just replaced them with Sasuke and Ino so it could qualify as a fanfic). I hope you enjoyed the story! Please R&R (no flaming please!)

**_SASUINO Forever!_**


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